MM. 

KOREA 


Cbe  Opening  of  Korea. 


vo  jh  G\o  n iKO-P  6\2£)  G\2~£) 6X.Q  C)  ^voc  ^voo  6XO£)  s\2£)  Q\°  5)  6S?J)  6\2£) 

!ofo°)oroVS<0  ^<0^S<0^S<0  °)S<0°)5r<0°)5iC0  °/2,<0  °J>  O<0  OLO  0 ) 2,  (c  °)°,<Q  °)s<0 


o \LM  o \U  *t  ovll  o X3o  o \D15  o v(i  o\3u  o\3li  o v3L5  o v)  -5  o \S)(o  o \_JLj  o vjvj  o Xj 1}  o 


By  REV.  C.  F.  REID.  D.D., 


SEOUL.  KOREA. 


“The  grateful  task  of  opening  the  doozs  of 
spiritual  life  and  material  piosperity  to  the 
Koreans  has  been  committed  unto  us.  ’ ’ 


board  of  Missions, 

Methodist  Episcopal  church,  south, 
Nashville,  Tenn. 


HON.  T.  H.  YUN, 
Taotai  of  C h i- nan  - p o . 


v/ 


</ 


THE  OPENING  OF  KOREA. 


ft  HAS  been  too  frequently  the  case  in  these  Eastern  lands,  Rome  had  a full 


century  the  start  of  Protestantism  in  making  the  name  of  Jesus  known 


to  the  Koreans.  In  1777  an  earnest  Korean  student  of  Confucius,  who, 
by  certain  characteristics,  had  won  for  himself  the  name  of  Stonewall,  obtained 
possession  of  several  publications  issued  by  the  Jesuit  Mission  in  Peking. 
Among  these  books  were  tracts  on  “ The  Existence  of  God,”  “ The  Immortal- 
ity of  the  Soul,”  ‘‘The  Seven  Deadly  Sins  and  Their  Opposite  Virtues,”  and 
others  of  like  purport. 

Stonewall  was  delighted  with  the  new  doctrine,  and  at  once  began  to  practice 
its  teaching  to  the  best  of  his  meager  knowledge.  At  his  first  opportunity  he 
opened  correspondence  with  the  priests  in  Peking  through  a friend  who  was 
going  to  the  Chinese  capital  in  company  with  the  Korean  embassy.  This  friend 
was  converted  and  baptized  while  in  Peking,  and  returned  to  Korea  well  stocked 
with  books,  crucifixes,  images,  pictures,  etc.  Stonewall  received  his  share 
with  delight,  and  became  more  devoted  to  the  new  religion  than  ever.  He  soon 
began  to  preach,  and  made  many  converts,  both  among  the  nobility  and  the 
common  people.  This,  of  course,  attracted  considerable  attention,  and  brought 
about  a series  of  bitter  persecutions  and  a series  of  noble  martyrdoms  which, 
as  exhibitions  of  sublime  faith  and  heroic  endurance  under  the  most  cruel  tor- 
tures and  in  death,  have  never  been  surpassed  in  any  age  or  country.  Coming 
off  the  streets  of  Seoul,  where  hundreds  of  ease-loving,  work  and  pain-hating  na- 
tives are  constantly  lounging,  one  is  fairly  bewildered  by  a perusal  of  the  record 
of  firmness  under  intense  suffering,  the  willing  self-sacrifice,  and  all  the 
eminent  Christian  virtues  which,  during  the  last  hundred  years,  have  been  il- 
lustrated thousands  of  times  in  the  lives  and  deaths  of  Korean  believers. 

The  first  victim  was  a gentleman  by  the  name  of  Kim,  who  had  received, 
when  baptized,  the  name  of  Thomas.  For  destroying  his  ancestral  tablets  he 
was  tortured  and  sent  into  banishment,  where  he  shortly  died.  Next  were  two 
more  of  the  same  surname.  These  were  publicly  tried,  and,  refusing  to  recant, 
were  beheaded.  Their  death  was  the  signal  for  a general  and  relentless  perse- 
cution which  had  for  its  end  the  utter  extermination  of  the  new  faith. 


BY  REV.  C.  F.  REID,  D.D. 


(3) 


4 


THE  OPENING  OE  KOREA. 


Men  were  beaten  with  rods  until  the  flesh  hung  on  them  in  blood}-  rags. 
Their  bones  were  disjointed  until  their  limbs  dangled  limp  and  useless  from 
their  quivering  bodies.  One  man,  sixty-one  years  old,  after  wearying  his  tor- 
turers with  his  endurance,  was  bound  around  with  cords  and  thrown  upon  the 
icy  ground.  Then  water  was  poured  over  him,  freezing  as  it  fell,  thus  covering 
his  body  in  a coat  of  ice.  In  this  condition  he  was  left  to  wait  for  death, 
which,  more  pitiful  than  his  torturers,  quickly  relieved  him  of  his  sufferings. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  under  persecution  of  such  extreme  rigor  many  should 
fall  away;  and  yet,  in  spite  of  persecution  and  apostasy,  it  is  estimated  that  ten 
years  after  the  baptism  of  the  first  Korean  convert  in  Peking  there  were  four 
thousand  Christians  in  Korea.  In  1791  the  first  attempt  of  a foreign  mission- 
ary to  enter  Korea  was  made.  A Portuguese  priest  named  Jean  dos  Remedios 
made  the  perilous  overland  trip  from  Peking;  but,  after  waiting  ten  days  in 
vain  at  the  border  gate  for  an  opportunity  to  enter,  he  returned  to  Peking, 
where  he  soon  died.  Three  years  later  a Chinese  priest  determined  to  make 
the  attempt,  and,  after  an  eventful  journey,  he  reached  Seoul  in  safety.  This 
was  the  first  foreign  missionary  to  visit  Korea.  After  six  years  of  secret  but 
successful  labor,  he  suffered  martyrdom.  During  the  greater  portion  of  this 
time  he  was  hid  in  the  house  of  a noble  Korean  lady,  but  when  the  government 
outlawed  him  by  public  proclamation  he  left  the  house  of  his  protectress, 
bravely  refusing  any  longer  to  endanger  the  lives  of  his  friends.  He  volunta- 
rily surrendered  himself,  and  was  beheaded  May  31,  1801.  His  hostess  was  then 
thrown  into  prison,  and  while  waiting  death  wrote  out  his  life  and  works  on  the 
skirt  of  her  silk  dress.  At  her  execution  she  begged  that  she  might  be  allowed 
to  die  in  her  robes,  and  not  be  stripped  of  them  in  accordance  with  the  usual 
custom.  Her  request  being  granted,  she  laid  her  head  upon  the  block  -with  a 
meekness  and  grace  as  pathetic  as  it  was  inspiring. 

I11  the  winter  of  1835  the  first  French  missionaries,  after  much  trouble  in 
running  the  guards  at  Aichoo,  entered  the  city  through  a water  drain  in  the 
city  wall.  After  three  years  of  indefatigable  labor,  they  suffered  martyrdom, 
September  21,  1839.  On  the  day  of  their  death  they  were  led  to  the  execution 
ground,  pinioned,  and  stripped  of  their  upper  garments;  a stick  was  passed  be- 
tween their  elbows  and  back,  an  arrow  was  run  through  the  fleshy  part  of  each 
ear,  and  their  faces  were  wet  with  water  and  powdered  with  chalk.  A dozen 
soldiers  then  began  a sham  fight  over  them,  delivering  their  blows  upon  the 
bodies  of  their  kneeling  victims  instead  of  on  each  other,  while  the  crowd 
shouted  with  delight  and  mockery  as  the  cruel  game  went  on.  Wearying  at 
length  with  this  sport,  the  executioners  struck  the  victims’  heads  from  their 
bodies,  and  thus  perished  the  first  European  missionaries  to  Korea. 

Still  the  work  went  on.  The  terrible  persecution  of  1866,  during  which  large 
numbers  sealed  their  faith  in  blood,  is  of  so  recent  date  that  I merely  make 


THE  OPENING  OF  KOREA. 


5 


mention  of  it  in  passing  to  show  that  within  the  lifetime  of  many  of  those  who 
will  read  this  article  the  sands  of  Korea  have  often  been  wet  with  the  blood  of 
Koreans,  who,  by  some,  are  represented  as  hardly  worth  the  saving.  The  man 
who  directed  this  horrible  butchery  only  recently  died,  and  the  memory  of  his 
deeds  is  to-day  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many  whom  we  pass  upon  the  streets. 

The  work  of  promulgating  Protestant  Christianity  did  not  begin  until  1883. 
In  that  year  a Chinese  soldier,  a convert  of  Dr.  Douthwaite,  well  known  at 
Vanderbilt  University,  was  ordered  with  his  regiment  to  Korea.  Before  leaving 
Chefoo,  he  went  to  Dr.  Douthwaite  and  asked  for  a supply  of  Gospels  and 
Christian  tracts  for  use  in  Korea.  They  were,  of  course,  given  to  him,  and  im- 
mediately on  his  arrival  in  Seoul  he  began  to  distribute  them  and  teach  their 
doctrines  as  best  he  could. 

So  active  was  this  Chinese  soldier  in  publishing  the  gospei  that  he  soon  fell 
under  the  observation  of  the  government  and  was  arrested.  The  foreign  office 
at  once  communicated  with  Gen.  Yuen,  commander  of  the  Chinese  troops  in 
Seoul,  asking  that  the  man  might  be  decapitated.  Gen.  Yuen,  however,  being 
a strong  sympathizer  with,  if  not  an  actual  believer  in,  Christianity,  refused  to 
accede  to  this  request;  and  after  a long  and  painful  imprisonment,  he  was  final- 
ly released  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Chefoo. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1884,  Dr.  H.  N.  Allen,  of  the  Presbyterian  Mis- 
sion in  Shanghai,  came  to  Seoul  as  physician  to  the  American  Legation.  This 
was  the  first  American  missionary  to  arrive  in  the  country.  The  following  year 
he  was  joined  by  Drs.  Underwood  and  Heron,  of  the  same  mission,  and  by  Dr. 
Scranton  and  H.  G.  Appenzeller,  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 

The  medical  work  of  Dr.  Allen  began  almost  at  once.  Soon  after  his  arrival, 
the  i iiu  u/c  in  connection  with  the  establishment  of  the  postal  service  occurred, 
and  the  Doctor  was  called  to  attend  one  of  the  high  Korean  officials  who  had 
been  badly  wounded  in  the  affray.  The  treatment  was  successful,  and  as  a re- 
sult the  Doctor  was  soon  flooded  with  applications  for  medical  attentions,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  could  report  over  ten  thousand  cases  seen,  two 
hundred  and  sixty-five  in-patients,  and  a hundred  and  fifty  surgical  operations. 
As  has  so  often  been  the  case  on  mission  fields,  the  medical  work  proved  to  be 
the  entering  wedge  for  the  evangelist.  On  the  second  Sunday  in  July,  1886, 
Dr.  Horace  G.  Underwood  baptized  the  first  convert  to  Protestant  Christianity, 
and  from  that  time  the  growth  of  the  work  has  been  rapid  and  steady.  Both 
the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Missions  have  been  doubling  their  memberships 
for  the  last  several  years.  As  in  the  beginning  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Mission, 
the  work  is  largely  self-propagating. 

Returning  recently  from  a visit  to  Songdo,  I overtook  several  men  on  the 
road.  As  they  saluted  me,  we  naturally  fell  into  a conversation.  To  my  sur- 
prise I learned  that  they  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  They  had 


6 


THE  OPENING  OF  NOPEA. 


come  from  Charyung,  some  hundred  miles  beyond  Songdo.  They  told  me  that 
in  their  district  there  were  eight  churches  entirely  built  by  native  Christians, 
and  a membership  of  about  four  hundred.  With  the  exception  of  occasional 
visits  from  the  missionaries  living  at  Pingyang,  they  were  carrying  on  the  work 
among  themselves. 

Another  illustration  of  how  the  good  seed  takes  root  in  Korea  came  under 
my  observation  at  Koksan,  a small  town  among  the  mountains,  a hundred  and 
fifty  miles  north  of  Seoul.  The  fame  of  the  medical  w'ork  done  in  Seoul 
reached  this  retired  place,  and  a native  doctor  living  there  determined  to  visit 
Seoul  and  learn  more  about  it,  and,  if  possible,  obtain  some  of  the  new  reme- 
dies. Arriving  in  Seoul,  he  met  both  Dr.  Heron  and  Dr.  Underwood.  From 
the  first  he  obtained  medicines,  and  from  the  second  he  received  several  copies 
of  the  Gospels  and  tracts.  What  use  he  made  of  the  medicines  I am  unable  to 
say;  but  the  books  he  laid  upon  a shelf  in  his  home,  where  they  remained  un- 
touched for  four  years.  One  day  another  doctor,  from  an  adjoining  village, 
came  in,  and  during  the  conversation  mention  was  made  of  the  trip  to  Seoul 
and  the  books  which  were  brought  home  The  visitor  asked  to  see  them,  and 
was  laughingly  told  that  he  might  have  them.  He  took  them  to  his  home,  and 
after  reading  somewhat  in  them  called  in  several  of  his  neighbors.  As  a result 
a little  company  of  believers  was  formed.  They  wrote  several  urgent  letters, 
begging  the  missionaries  at  Seonl  to  visit  them  and  give  them  fuller  instruc- 
tion; but  the  journey  was  a long  and  difficult  one,  and  every  one  had  his  hands 
full,  and  it  was  not  till  1896  that  time  and  opportunity  served  for  Drs.  Under- 
wood and  Avison  to  visit  Koksan.  In  the  meantime  this  little  band  of  believers 
read  a good  deal  about  a washing  rite  (baptism),  and  not  knowing  what  else  to 
do,  thej' gave  each  other  a bath  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Unfortunate- 
ly, shortly  after  the  two  missionaries  left  Seoul  for  Koksan  the  murder  of  the 
queen  took  place,  and  a courier  was  at  once  dispatched  from  the  United  States 
Legation  recalling  them.  They  had,  however,  time  to  examine  and  baptize  a 
few  of  the  more  intelligent  and  devout  believers  before  the  recall  reached  them. 

No  other  attempt  was  made  to  visit  this  section  until  about  a year  and  a 
half  later,  -when  it  was  my  privilege  to  make  the  trip  with  Dr.  Underwood. 
After  five  days  of  hard  walking  over  roads  that  were  almost  impassable,  we 
reached  our  destination.  Ten  li  this  side  of  Koksan  we  were  met  by  a com- 
pany of  Christians,  who  had  come  out  the  day  before  to  wait  for  us.  Guided 
by  them,  we  picked  our  way  through  a narrow  pass  to  the  picturesque  little 
village  nestled  in  a basin  among  the  mountains,  where  we  were  to  be  enter- 
tained in  the  home  of  Dr.  Clio,  the  first  believer,  and  the  leading  spirit  of  this 
little  band  of  believers.  We  remained  five  days,  during  which  we  were  enter- 
tained as  the  most  honored  of  guests.  Nothing  was  left  undone  that  could 
minister  to  our  comfort;  and  the  spirit  with  which  everything  was  given  was 


THE  OPENING  OE  KOREA. 


7 


simply  delightful.  The  good  seed  had  been  scattered  and  had  brought  forth 
fruit  in  the  whole  district,  and  men  and  women  came  up  from  the  country 
and  villages  around  to  learn  more  from  the  foreign  teachers.  There  were,  in 
all,  about  fifty  applicants  for  baptism,  and  these  were  carefully  examined,  one 
by  one.  Dr.  Underwood  left  the  reception  of  these  candidates  largely  to  the 
judgment  of  the  few  older  Christians,  and  it  was  exceedingly  interesting  to 
see  with  what  care  they  weighed  each  case.  Only  nineteen  of  the  fifty  were 
able  to  meet  the  requirements  of  these  men  standing  as  guards  at  the  door  of 
the  infant  Church.  These  were  finally  baptized  and  admitted  into  full  mem- 
bership, and  the  others  were  put  on  the  list  of  probationers  until  they  had 
made  further  advancement  in  knowledge  and  experience. 

I have  rarely  enjoyed  Christian  communion  more  than  I did  with  these  sim- 
ple followers  of  Jesus,  many  of  whom  had  developed  bright  Christian  char- 
acters with  no  other  teacher  than  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I have  given  this  illustration  of  how  Christianity  is  spreading  in  Korea,  be- 
cause it  came  under  my  own  observation.  Did  time  and  space  allow,  others 
equally  interesting  might  be  mentioned. 

At  the  urgent  request  of  the  Vice  Minister  of  Education  and  one  of  the 
first  representatives  of  the  mercantile  class  of  Korea,  Bishop  E.  R.  Hendrix 
and  the  writer  visited  Korea  in  October,  1S95.  The  providential  indications 
were  so  plain  that  the  bishop  decided  at  once  to  open  a mission  in  the  coun- 
trv,  and  he  appointed  his  traveling  companion  superintendent  and  pioneer 
missionary  for  the  new  work.  It  was  not,  however,  until  August,  1896,  that 
we  were  able  to  remove  our  family  from  Shanghai  and  begin  work. 

A large  section  of  country  stretching  from  Seoul,  the  capital,  along  the 
main  highway  to  Songdo,  was  found  entirely  unoccupied  by  any  of  the  mis- 
sion forces  previously  in  the  field.  At  an  early  date  an  excellent  opening  was 
made  at  Koyang,  and  in  a few  months  work  was  begun  in  Songdo,  with  a line 
of  stations  connecting  the  two  cities. 

In  January,  1897,  the  Rev.  C.  T.  Collver  arrived  in  Seoul  and  was  appointed 
to  the  Songdo  Circuit.  The  following  year  Dr.  R.  A.  Hardie,  who  had  already 
been  working  nine  years  in  Korea  under  the  auspices  of  the  Canadian  Col- 
lege's Mission,  was  transferred  to  us  and  opened  medical  work  in  Songdo. 
His  proficiency  in  the  language  and  medical  skill  greatly  strengthened  our 
mission.  In  September,  1899,  we  were  again  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  the 
Rev.  J.  R.  and  Mrs.  Moose,  who  came  to  us  from  North  Carolina.  They  were 
stationed  at  Seoul,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  difficult  task  of  acquiring 
the  new  language. 

In  the  fall  of  1897  our  Woman’s  Board  transferred  to  Korea  their  able  and 
experienced  China  missionary,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Campbell,  and  she  has  since  been 
joined  by  Miss  Fannie  Hinds,  Miss  Arrena  Carroll,  and  Miss  Sadie  Harbaugh. 


s 


THE  OPENING  OF  KOREA. 


These  ladies  have  all  entered  their  work  with  great  earnestness,  and  are  win- 
ning a most  gratifying  success. 

Mrs.  Campbell  has  general  control  of  woman’s  work  and  specific  charge  of 
the  Carolina  Institute,  a well-filled  boarding  school  for  girls,  where  she  is 
preparing  effective  workers  to  do  their  part  in  emancipating  one  of  the  most 
oppressed  sections  of  womanhood  in  the  world. 

Gradually  but  surely  we  have  advanced  until  we  have  now  almost  all  the 
territory  left  for  us  somewhat  under  our  supervision.  By  an  arrangement 
with  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  we  limit  our  advance  north  to  the  country  im- 
mediately about  Songdo,  and  by  a similar  arrangement  with  our  Methodist 
Episcopal  friends,  we  refrain  from  entering  the  territory  south  of  the  Han 
River. 

This  leaves  to  us  an  inviting  field  stretching  from  sea  to  sea  across  the  cen- 
ter of  the  peninsular,  and  embracing  the  eastern  part  of  the  Kiung-Ki  prov- 
ince and  the  entire  province  of  Kang-Won.  Dr.  Hardie  has  recentW  occu- 
pied Wousan,  which  is,  without  doubt,  is  the  most  salubrious  place  for  a health 
resort  within  the  bounds  of  our  three  Asiatic  missions. 

The  work  so  happily  begun  at  Koyang  in  1896  soon  spread  to  neighboring 
villages,  largely  through  the  work  of  native  converts,  until  we  now  have  ten 
regularly  organized  societies  having  a membership  of  two  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-seven communicants  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-one  probationers,  mak- 
ing a total  of  six  hundred  and  twelve  adherents,  wdiich  does  not  include  a 
large  number  of  baptized  children.  Not  unfrequently  the  missionary  is  agree- 
ably surprised  to  find  a little  group  of  believers  in  places  he  has  never  visited, 
the  good  seed  having  been  sown  by  native  converts,  and  sometimes  the  work 
has  progressed  so  far  that  the  little  branch  has  provided  itself  with  a chapel, 
and  begun  observance  of  the  Lord's  Day  by  regular  service  among  themselves. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  and  hopeful  features  of  the  Korean  work  is  the 
spirit  of  self-support  and  self-propagation  that  is  so  common  among  the  con- 
verts. The  contribution  box  is  introduced  in  the  initial  stages  of  the  work, 
and  the  probationer  is  taught  to  pay  as  well  as  to  pray  from  the  beginning. 
This  means  much  more  than  the  small  amounts  they  are  able  to  add  to  the 
resources  of  the  mission.  It  is  the  spirit  of  helpfulness  and  sense  of  respon- 
sibility in  sustaining  and  extending  the  work  that  make  their  efforts  in  this 
direction  valuable. 

Another  remarkable  characteristic  of  the  Korean  convert  is  his  fortitude 
under  persecution.  I know  many  cases  where  they  have  been  subjected  to 
the  most  cruel  treatment,  but  I do  not  recall  a single  one,  that  I have  had 
cause  to  believe  a true  convert,  who  gave  up  his  faith  on  that  account. 

An  official  attempt  was  made  to  break  up  our  work  at  Pachiu.  The  two 
leading  Christians  were  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison.  Their  necks  were 


THE  OTE.XI.XG  OF  KOREA. 


9 


fastened  in  large  wooden  cangues  five  feet  long,  and  they  were  told  that  they 
must  give  up  their  Christianity  or  their  lives.  So  far  from  availing  them- 
selves of  this  opportunity  to  avoid  cruel  torture,  imprisonment,  and  probable 
death,  they  began  an  active  and  not  unsuccessful  work  among  their  fellow 
prisoners.  After  a few  weeks  they  were  removed  to  the  provincial  capital  and 
incarcerated  in  the  great  prison  there.  During  the  two  years  at  Soowon  they 
endured  tortures  and  privations  that  left  them  mere  physical  wrecks.  Their 
homes  were  sold,  their  families  scattered,  and  when  at  last  official  spite  had 
been  satisfied  and  they  were  released,  they  were,  from  a worldly  standpoint, 
the  most  wretched  of  men.  Rut  through  it  all  they  clung  to  their  faith,  and 
if  alive,  are  still  doubtless  bearing  a good  testimony.  This  is  not  an  isolated 
case.  The  history  of  mission  work  in  Korea  is  full  of  similar  examples  of 
suffering,  and  even  death,  willingly  endured  for  Christ’s  sake. 

In  closing  this  article  it  seems  desirable  to  make  some  special  mention  of 
the  city  of  Songdo.  It  was  the  ancient  capital,  and  is  now  the  second  largest 
city  of  the  empire,  having  a population  of  sixty  thousand.  Fifty-four  miles 
north  of  Seoul  it  is  directly  on  the  projected  line  of  railway  that  is  to  connect 
the  present  capital  with  Pingyang,  and  eventually  with  the  great  Russian 
transcontinental  line  through  Siberia.  It  is,  therefore,  a place  of  considera- 
ble strategic  importance. 

We  entered  Songo  on  the  urgent  invitation  of  Mr.  Yi  Tong-chin,  one  of  its 
wealthiest  and  most  influential  citizens.  While  not  a Christian,  Mr.  Yi  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  school  and  hospital  work  he  saw  carried  on  by 
missionaries  in  Seoul,  and  was  greatly  desirous  that  his  native  city  should 
have  the  benefit  of  similar  institutions,  and  it  was  in  answer  to  an  earnest  ap- 
peal written  by  the  Hon.  T.  H.  Yun  at  his  request  that  Bishop  Hendrix  de- 
cided to  visit  Korea  in  1895. 

In  the  very  beginning  it  was  planned  that  Songdo  should  be  the  center  of 
our  institutional  work.  It  was  suggested  by  Mr.  Yun,  then  Vice  Minister  of 
Education,  that  our  educational  effort  should  take  the  form  of  an  industrial 
training  school,  and  a mature  study  of  the  situation  has  convinced  our  mis- 
sion of  the  wisdom  of  his  suggestion. 

With  natural  resources  quite  equal  to  those  of  the  Japanese,  the  Koreans 
are  a poverty-stricken  people,  bearly  obtaining  from  a generous  soil  a precari- 
ous living,  where,  with  more  enlightened  methods,  abundant  harvests  might 
with  ease  be  gathered.  Unlimited  wealth  lies  on  every  hand  waiting  the  mag- 
ic touch  of  the  skilled  laborer,  who  shall  enter  upon  his  work  in  sympathy 
with  nature  and  with  a knowledge  of  her  secrets. 

The  grateful  task  of  opening  the  doors  of  spiritual  life  and  material  pros- 
perity has  been  committed  to  us,  and  we  have  accepted  the  responsibility. 
With  the  understanding  that  we  go  forward  with  this  work,  Gen.  Yun,  former 


IO 


THE  OPE  NEXT  OE  KOREA. 


Minister  of  Justice,  and  the  Hon.  T.  H.  Yun,  now  Taotai  of  Chi-nan-po,  each 
handed  us  yen  ($1,000)  over  two  years  ago.  It  is  unseemly  that  these  large 
gifts  from  native  Koreans  should  lie  idle  in  bank,  and  that  the  fulfillment  of 
our  promise  to  begin  this  important  work  should  be  delayed  so  long. 

It  is  not  the  policy  of  the  Korean  Mission  to  put  large  sums  of  money  in 
expensive  buildings.  We  prefer  rather  to  begin  on  a smaller  scale,  and  to  let 
the  plant  increase  with  the  natural  growth  of  the  school.  Still  about  five 
thousand  dollars  will  be  required  to  purchase  property  and  supply  the  equip- 
ment necessary  for  initiating  the  work. 

I know  of  no  enterprise  connected  with  our  Korean  Mission  that  promises 
larger  and  more  satisfactory  returns.  Is  there  not  within  the  bounds  of  our 
Southern  Methodism  some  generous  servant  of  God  who  will  put  his  hand  to 
this  work  ? 

Here  is  a fountain  of  perpetual  blessing  that  may  be  opened  up  to  a people 
who  have  hitherto  been  denied  all  that  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  means  to  us. 
Through  past  ages  they  and  their  fathers  have  lived  their  dwarfed  lives  under 
the  blight  of  evil  worship  and  the  most  debasing  superstitions. 

From  both  a spiritual  and  material  standpoint  the  condition  of  the  Korean 
appeals  more  strongly  to  Christian  and  philanthropic  generosity  than  that  of 
any  other  people  with  whom  I have  ever  been  in  contact.  Nature  has  endowed 
them  with  man)-  amiable  traits  of  character,  and,  if  given  a fair  chance,  they 
will  easily  develop  into  a lovable,  prosperous,  Christian  people.  Does  not 
loyalty  to  our  Lord  demand  that  we  give  them  that  chance?  God  grant  that 
this  appeal  may  meet  the  eye  of  some  lover  of  Christ  and  his  little  ones  with 
heart  and  purse  large  enough  to  entertain  its  meaning  and  give  to  it  a prompt 
and  generous  response. 


RESIDENCE  'OF  REV.  C.  K.  REID.  D.D.,  SEOUL,  KOREA. 


